Deadlock: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:38, 30 January 2025

Deadlock is a 6v6 third-person shooter MOBA developed by Valve Corporation.^[1] It was first publicly announced on August 23, 2024.^[2] The game's release was unconventional and marked by a deliberate approach of secrecy before public acknowledgement. The game can only be played be receiving an invite from a Steam friend who already has the game. The game is still in development and is played through an Early Development Build.^[2]

Gameplay[edit | edit source]

Main article: Mechanics

In Deadlock, two teams of 6 players, The Sapphire Flame and The Amber Hand, battle through 4 lanes of New York. Each team fights on behalf of a god, called a Patron. The objective is to destroy the enemy's Patron while defending your own to complete the ritual. Players control Heroes with upgradable abilities, and items are bought using souls. Souls are earned by defeating enemies and completing tasks. They can also unlock 'boons' from Patrons, which boost Hero stats.

Heroes level up, unlock abilities, and equip items in slots for Weapon, Vitality, and Spirit. Additional Flex slots are unlocked by completing objectives.

The game blends elements of shooters and MOBAs. It focuses on tactics, teamwork, and strategy, with third-person skill shots, movement, and gunplay. It also has a unique zipline system for long-distance transportation.

Setting & Theme[edit | edit source]

Main article: Lore

In the world of Deadlock, occult rituals and magic anomalies are commonplace and heavily regulated. The game takes place in an alternate 1940s version of New York called The Cursed Apple. Two covenants battle to complete the Ritual and summon their Patron, a god capable of granting wishes. Each character has their own wishes and reason for wanting to summon the Patron, but their fates collide on the streets of New York. The game has strong occult themes blended with an old-school American style.

Development[edit | edit source]

Deadlock was originally meant to be a sci-fi third-person MOBA called Neon Prime. It was also known as Citadel, Project8 and Shadowline at various points in its early development. Valve trademarked Neon Prime in October 2022,^[3] but the game was renamed to Deadlock later that year.

The currently ongoing Deadlock closed playtest began on April 2024,^[4] when the official forums and Discord server were created, and the name was trademarked by Valve on May 2024.^[5] The game was leaked on various occasions from 2019 to 2024, and Valve listed the game on Steam in August 2024.

Development Timeline
Date	Events
Early 2018	Creation of Citadel
April 2019	First Citadel leaks in Dota 2 files
2020-2022	Development of Neon Prime
October 2020	First Neon Prime leaks in Dota 2 files
October 2022	Neon Prime trademark registered
Late 2022	Neon Prime canceled, transition to Shadowline/Deadlock
Early 2023-July 2023	Development of Caldera_trooper map (art style transition)
Late 2023	Development of Cursed Apple map
February 2024	Deadlock tutorial videos recorded
April 2024	Beginning of playtest, creation of forums and Discord server
May 2024	First Deadlock leaks, trademark registered, email invite system
June 2024	Steam friend invite system
August 2024	Steam page created, embargo lifted, forums made public

References[edit | edit source]

↑ Deadlock on Steam
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 2024-08-26 - Paul Tassi on Forbes - Valve’s Deadlock Instantly Rockets To 90,000 Players After Official Announcement
↑ Neon Prime trademark on USPTO.report
↑ 2024-04-16 - Yoshi; Deadlock Forums - Early Development Build Privacy
↑ Deadlock trademark on USPTO.report

[1] Deadlock on Steam

[:1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 2024-08-26 - Paul Tassi on Forbes - Valve’s Deadlock Instantly Rockets To 90,000 Players After Official Announcement

[3] Neon Prime trademark on USPTO.report

[4] 2024-04-16 - Yoshi; Deadlock Forums - Early Development Build Privacy

[5] Deadlock trademark on USPTO.report

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[2]

[3]

[4]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Deadlock''' is a third-person shooter developed by Valve Corporation. It was first publicly announced on August 23, 2024. The game's release was unconventional and marked by a deliberate approach of secrecy before public acknowledgement. The initial distribution method involved inviting players through the Steam friends list feature. The game is still in development and is played in an Early Development Build.
+[[File:Deadlock Logo.webp|thumb|332x332px|''Deadlock'''s logo.]]
+'''''Deadlock''''' is a 6v6 third-person shooter MOBA developed by [[wikipedia:Valve_Corporation|Valve Corporation]].<ref>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1422450/Deadlock/ Deadlock] on Steam</ref> It was first publicly announced on August 23, 2024.<ref name=":1" /> The game's release was unconventional and marked by a deliberate approach of secrecy before public acknowledgement. The game can only be played be receiving an invite from a Steam friend who already has the game. The game is still in development and is played through an [[Early Development Build]].<ref name=":1">2024-08-26 - Paul Tassi on Forbes - [https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/26/valves-deadlock-instantly-rockets-to-90000-players-after-official-announcement/ Valve’s Deadlock Instantly Rockets To 90,000 Players After Official Announcement]</ref>
-=== Gameplay ===
+== Gameplay ==
-The main objective in '''Deadlock''' is to destroy the enemy [[Patron]] inside their base on a MOBA-styled [[map]]. The base is protected by multiple tiers of [[walkers]]/[[guardians]] along four lanes, which continuously funnel waves of [[troopers]]. The two competing teams, ''[[The Sapphire Flame]]'' and ''[[The Amber Hand]]'', each consist of six players. Every player controls a [[Heroes|Hero]] character, each with unique abilities and characteristics that can be improved over the course of the game.
+''Main article: [[Mechanics]]''
-[[Souls]] are the primary source of power in the game, serving as both experience points and currency. Collecting [[souls]] grants the player and their team more power, allowing them to earn 'boons' from their [[Patron]], which in turn increases their levels and enhances their [[Heroes|Heroes']] stats. As players level up, they unlock and upgrade their abilities.
+In ''Deadlock'', two [[teams]] of 6 players, ''[[The Sapphire Flame]]'' and ''[[The Amber Hand]],'' battle through 4 lanes of [[New York]]. Each team fights on behalf of a god, called a [[Patron]]. The objective is to destroy the enemy's Patron while defending your own to complete the ritual. Players control [[Heroes]] with upgradable abilities, and items are bought using [[souls]]. Souls are earned by defeating enemies and completing tasks. They can also unlock 'boons' from Patrons, which boost Hero stats.
-In addition to levelling, Heroes have four item slots in their inventory for three categories: [[Weapon]], [[Vitality]], and [[Spirit]]. There are also four [[Flex]] slots that can be unlocked by completing specific map objectives. Players [[The Curiosity Shop|purchase]] items using souls earned through various actions, killing creeps and enemy heroes, destroying buildings, claiming the spirit urn, and denying the enemy team's souls.
+Heroes level up, unlock abilities, and equip items in slots for [[Weapon]], [[Vitality]], and [[Spirit]]. Additional [[Flex]] slots are unlocked by completing objectives.
+The game blends elements of shooters and MOBAs. It focuses on tactics, teamwork, and strategy, with third-person skill shots, movement, and gunplay. It also has a unique [[Ziplines|zipline]] system for long-distance transportation.
-'''Deadlock''' draws inspiration from Valve's ''Dota 2'', incorporating its heavy emphasis on tactics, team coordination, and strategic depth. It translates these elements into a third-person perspective, blending skill-shots, tactical engagements, omnidirectional movement, and gunplay to create a unique gameplay experience.
+== Setting & Theme ==
+''Main article: [[Lore]]''
-=== Theme and Setting ===
+In the world of ''Deadlock,'' occult rituals and magic anomalies are commonplace and heavily regulated. The game takes place in an alternate 1940s version of New York called [[The Cursed Apple]]. Two covenants battle to complete the Ritual and summon their Patron, a god capable of granting wishes. Each character has their own wishes and reason for wanting to summon the Patron, but their fates collide on the streets of New York. The game has strong occult themes blended with an old-school American style.
-The game has a fantasy theme and is set in the early 1900's United States where occult rituals and magic anomalies are common place and heavily regulated. The game's current map is implied to be this universe's version of 'New York', where the ritual takes place. The ritual is between two patrons and whichever side is victorious will 'spawn' the patron into their world, allowing them to grant their side a 'boon'. Heroes are based on various tropes and ideas associated with the time while containing many unique contributions.
-=== Lore ===
+== Development ==
-There is currently not much known about the lore of the game outside of in-game hero descriptions and a leaked graphic novel featuring [[Lady Geist]] and [[Infernus]]. Fantastic events are a deeply woven part of the game's lore and are often an explanation for heroes' abilities.
+''Deadlock'' was originally meant to be a sci-fi third-person MOBA called ''[[Neon Prime]].'' It was also known as ''[[Citadel]],'' ''Project8'' and ''[[Shadowline]]'' at various points in its early development. Valve trademarked ''Neon Prime'' in October 2022,<ref>[https://uspto.report/TM/97625453 ''Neon Prime'' trademark] on USPTO.report</ref> but the game was renamed to ''Deadlock'' later that year''.''
+The currently ongoing ''Deadlock'' closed playtest began on April 2024,<ref>2024-04-16 - [[Yoshi]]; Deadlock Forums - [https://forums.playdeadlock.com/threads/early-development-build-privacy.2/ Early Development Build Privacy]</ref> when the official forums and Discord server were created, and the name was trademarked by Valve on May 2024.<ref>[https://uspto.report/TM/98576353 ''Deadlock'' trademark] on USPTO.report</ref> The game was leaked on various occasions from 2019 to 2024, and Valve listed the game on Steam in August 2024.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+Development Timeline
+!Date
+!Events
+|-
+|Early 2018
+|Creation of ''Citadel''
+|-
+|April 2019
+|First ''Citadel'' leaks in ''Dota 2'' files
+|-
+|2020-2022
+|Development of ''Neon Prime''
+|-
+|October 2020
+|First ''Neon Prime'' leaks in ''Dota 2'' files
+|-
+|October 2022
+|''Neon Prime'' trademark registered
+|-
+|Late 2022
+|''Neon Prime'' canceled, transition to ''Shadowline/Deadlock''
+|-
+|Early 2023-July 2023
+|Development of Caldera_trooper map (art style transition)
+|-
+|Late 2023
+|Development of Cursed Apple map
+|-
+|February 2024
+|''Deadlock'' tutorial videos recorded
+|-
+|April 2024
+|Beginning of playtest, creation of forums and Discord server
+|-
+|May 2024
+|First ''Deadlock'' leaks, trademark registered, email invite system
+|-
+|June 2024
+|Steam friend invite system
+|-
+|August 2024
+|Steam page created, embargo lifted, forums made public
+|}
+== References ==
+<references />{{Development History}}
+[[Category:Deadlock Wiki]]